There’s a metaphor in there somewhere; are we all, in some way, squids squirting our ink in order to claim and defend our ‘turf’?
I might have mentioned this before, I don’t play a lot of multiplayer games; the single-player experience is priority for me and multiplayer, particularly as a tacked on feature, doesn’t appeal. So, imagine my surprise when the Global Testfire Event for Splatoon came around and sucked me into the world of inking, splatting and being a kid now then a squid now.
The fun experienced playing Splatoon cannot be understated. The game is hectic and relies heavily on teamwork in order to best your opponents. In most multiplayer games there’s a heavy focus on your own kill/death ratio and whilst kills are part of the experience here, they’re never your objective. Inking is where it’s at and the chaos that ensues when frantically painting over the ink of the opposition as the clock ticks down is sweat-inducing.
How this simple premise has become so addictive is the million dollar question. I’ve played numerous matches across the same 12 maps and I’m not bored of it yet. It is just too much fun. i want to play it again right now! It is oddly satisfying marking your territory all over the game world only to be splatted by the enemy whilst in the process and setting out to get revenge on that blasted squid. Or kid. Or squid.
On that topic – squidding and kidding and blasting your enemies – you better watch out for sneaky campers. It happens in most competitive multiplayers. You found a nice spot and you lie in wait ready to pounce on your unsuspecting victims. Splatoon makes this very easy. The squid/kid mechanic lets you transform, holding the left trigger (ZL), and in your squid form you can hide in your own ink. You can move faster too swimming along chasing down your foes, or, using the benefits to make a hasty retreat. Enemy ink damages you, however, and slows you down.
Take that squiddo!
To spray your ink all over the place you’ve a large variety of weapons; 29 so far with more to come I’m sure. Increasing your level unlocks the weapons in the store with all unlocked once you reach level 20. 7 of the weapons can only be unlocked by playing through the single-player campaign. Yes, there’s a single-player mode which i’ll get to in a minute. The weapon you pick will depend on your play style. Rollers and sloshers offer a lot of ink coverage but can leave you vulnerable to gunslingers. Guns on the other hand offer a good all round attacking power but are slow to cover the area with ink. There are also the charger weapons for those who like to sit back and offer covering fire to the inkers.
Weapons come with sub weapons and special abilities. This might also determine which one you pick as some of the specials are more beneficial than others. Special abilities require charging via ink spreading, so the quicker you lay ink, the faster you’ll charge it up. Some specials give you a shield for a short time, whilst others allow you to launch an Inkstrike anywhere on the map covering the area that was selected in ink. Sub weapons vary from standard bombs and mines to beacons that allow you to launch yourself to another part of the map.
There’s also a good variety of gear available to you – headgear, clothing, and shoes – which gives you certain benefits such as reduced ink consumption, faster movement, or higher defence. Each item has a predetermined ability as well as up to three extra slots which are allocated benefits randomly as you level up the item. Your level determines the quality of the gear you’ll have access to and the gear is rotated daily so you can check regularly to see if the item you wanted, but couldn’t afford, is back in stock. Gear can also be purchased through the black-market vendor who will order most of what your fellow gamers are kitted out with. Just walk up to a fellow squidling and press A to check out their stuff.
Inkopolis is the hub where you access all your in-game modes and goodies. The multiplayer lobbies, single-player campaign, shops, and black-market dealer are all found here and you can wander about the old-fashioned way from place to place, or, for the impatient, you can just tap what you want to do on the gamepad. The gamepad is quite useful in Splatoon for checking out your progress in battle. It will show you a map of the current stage and show you how much you and the opposition have covered. The motion control for the game, however, doesn’t work for me. it just doesn’t feel intuitive enough and luckily there’s an option to turn it off and opt for the right stick to aim.
Geronimo!
Enough about the gameplay, have you seen how it looks? Nintendo gets a lot of flack for being too kiddyish, not grown-up enough. Video games are serious business now, apparently and have to appear mature. Bollocks. Anyone you know who isn’t a gamer will say your Assassin’s Creed and COD are kids games. They’re not but it’s the perception they have. Nintendo makes games for everyone because games can be enjoyed by anyone. If you’re embarrassed to play some games you’re embarrassed by your hobby and life’s too short for that.
Anyways, this game is absolutely gorgeous. Nintendo know how to make beautiful looking games. and they’re not necessarily high tech. The use of vibrant colours makes them lovely to look at. And how often do you get a multiplayer shooter looking as bright and colourful as this. The effects – the reflection of light on the ink, the viscosity, the movement through the ink – are all fantastic.
The single-player mode is a short but equally fun campaign which takes the inking mechanic in clever new directions. It’s short, probably too short for some, and not entirely difficult, although I had way more trouble than I’m willing to admit to in tackling the final boss. It’s a nice diversion and well worth completing as you unlock those 7 weapons and get two shiny new sets of gear.
As excellent as the game is, and it is excellent, there are a few minor annoyances. You can’t change your equipment in between matches. You have to exit the lobby first, then change your gear, and then re-enter the loby to carry on your battles. Maps are rotated every 4 hours and when they are changed you are automatically forced to sit through another ‘News Report’ featuring the Squid sisters who inform you of the current maps available in multiplayer battles. This can be even more annoying when you’ve switched the game on right before a rotation and have to sit through the report twice in 5 minutes. Minor quibbles but they can lead to frustration during a game session.
I’m a squid now!
The game had fewer maps – just 5 – and weapons on launch but Nintendo kept to their word and offered, and continues to offer, updates free of charge. There are amiibo DLC available for the game but i haven’t bought any of the three amiibos (huh!) so I can’t comment on whether or not they’re worth purchasing. The game as it is now, most definitely is. I purchased it myself for about $40. It’s just pure, unadulterated fun, and I’m nowhere near bored with it. I can’t recommend it enough. In fact, I’m gonna go play some more, so if you’ll excuse me, I have some squids to splat.
I’m a kid now, I’m a squid now, I’m a kid, I’m a squid, I’m a kid, I’m a squid, I’m a kid, I’m a squid, I’m a kid, I’m a squid, I’m a kid, I’m a squid, I’m a kid, I’m a squid…